"She was unusually aggressive, wasn't she?"
While organizing my things after getting home, I asked the question that had been on my mind for a while.
Snow was usually standoffish, but I couldn't believe she was the type to act like that unless there was some purpose behind it. There must have been some reason.
"I wanted to poke around and extract some information. I feel bad for what I did to that person," she said.
"You mean Yanagie-san? That person's a big deal, you know."
"But it was a productive conversation," Snow replied.
"Was it?"
It seemed to me like they just threw some conditions at us and left.
"They're an excellent organization. They might become a major player."
"Major player...? That company is already a huge success."
"Even more than that. They could hold the key to dungeon exploration. That's why I was so bold."
"You want to explore dungeons, right?"
"Of course. It's my job as your spirit."
"Then wouldn't it have been better to be more friendly? Demanding all the information... Even with magic stones, the benefits go beyond what's reasonable."
After all, we're talking about the Dungeon Management Bureau. Its scale is enormous. The information they control could easily be worth a fortune.
"No, it had to be that way. We needed a distance where we weren't enemies but not allies either. That's why I had to push a little."
"...From the way you say it, it sounds like you didn't expect them to agree to those demands in the first place."
"Exactly. They'd definitely refuse to disclose all their information. The real goal was to get our living quarters. I bet they'll offer that as a compromise. We won't belong to their organization, but we'll cooperate. That's enough."
"...So we'll proceed with dungeon exploration on our own?"
"That's right. The Dungeon Management Bureau could continue exploring without us. And we have enough strength to do it on our own. There's little benefit to collaborating."
Hearing that, it made sense. Judging by the power Snow displayed when she froze the golem, any half-hearted assistance would probably just get in her way.
"By the way, Yuma. I've got a question for you."
"A question?"
"Do you know of any magic stone sales routes?"
"...Aren't we supposed to give the magic stones to the Dungeon Management Bureau?"
"Those ones don't matter. I'm talking about the ones we'll get in the future. Soon, we'll be able to easily acquire magic stones bigger than the ones we have now."
"..."
Here she goes again, with her complicated talk.
Sure, small magic stones can be sold anywhere, but when they're the size of a fist or larger, the options get much more limited.
"Why not just sell them directly to the Dungeon Management Bureau?"
"If they're willing to buy consistently, that's fine. But eventually, they'll start holding back."
How many magic stones does this girl plan to sell? The Dungeon Management Bureau is bigger than T○Y○TA at this point.
"...It's going to be tough if we go the individual route."
"What do you mean?"
Snow tilted her head, not understanding.
"First, there's no trust. People will want the magic stones, but there's no way to prove they're genuine. Only organizations like the Dungeon Management Bureau, or others with dungeon exploration goals, could vouch for them."
"...Right, not everyone in this world has awakened magic power. That's definitely a problem."
"But if you're not afraid of standing out, there is a way."
"What do you mean?"
"In this world, there's the internet. There are countless ways to get information out there. If you use your appearance and power, you'll attract attention in no time. Then, by selling a few magic stones to the Dungeon Management Bureau, we can prove that the magic stones we gather are real. Other companies and organizations will catch on, and buyers will be easier to find."
Snow looked like she was imagining the situation, but then her expression shifted to something less than enthusiastic.
"That sounds way too attention-grabbing..."
"Honestly, even without doing all that, someone as beautiful as you would attract attention in no time."
"Are you complimenting me?"
"I mean, I am. After walking around the city today, you had so many eyes on you, right? There's practically no one with white hair like yours, and your features are flawless. If I were a TV scout, I'd definitely approach you."
"Mm-hmm."
She responded casually, almost as if to say, Yeah, I don't care about that, but her face clearly showed she was a bit pleased.
Normally, standing out like that would have its downsides—like creepy stalkers—but with Snow's power, it's probably the stalkers who would be in danger.
"Well, it's not a bad idea. I'll think about it."
She was clearly hiding her grin.
She'd probably go along with the plan soon enough.
But if we figure out a way to sell the magic stones, then we'll need someone who's familiar with creating videos or live streams to spread the word.
That person should be someone I know well...
I started thinking about a college friend who might know all about that kind of stuff.
"Well, for now, let's wait for the response from the Dungeon Management Bureau."
"We should get a reply soon. It'd be easiest if they just agreed to disclose all the information."
"By the way, you mentioned going solo earlier. But what if the Dungeon Management Bureau is actively interested in hiring me?"
"I'd just turn them down."
She answered without hesitation.
"...In that case, you could have just left that condition out in the first place, right?"
Honestly, just getting the living quarters and the information would have been enough for Snow to do what she wanted.
Snow blushed slightly.
"...I didn't like how that Yanagie person looked down on you."
"Huh?"
"Didn't you notice? His attitude toward me was clearly cautious, but he didn't pay any attention to you at all."
"...I didn't really notice, but..."
Honestly, if Snow and I were together, even if Yanagie had been me, he'd have been more cautious around Snow.
"You'll get used to noticing things like that after spending enough time on the battlefield. He didn't see your true strength because their skill level is low, but it still irritated me when they acted like that."
"So, you said all that for my sake?"
"Not for your sake!"
She suddenly sounded like a tsundere.
"My master is you, and if you're looked down on, that means I'm being looked down on too. So..."
Well, I guess in her way, Snow was doing it for my benefit.
"I'll thank you for that."
"Fine, I'll accept your thanks."
She's not very good at being honest.
"By the way, is there a dungeon nearby?"
"There's one in Shinjuku. It's about 20 minutes away by train."
Currently, Japan has 53 known dungeons of all sizes. They appear in forests and mountains, and there are probably more undiscovered ones. There was even a case where one appeared in a lake, so it's possible there could be some underwater as well. It's both an exciting and eerie thought.
"Do you want to go now?"
You don't need any special qualifications to enter a dungeon. As long as you're 15 or older... wait a minute.
"Snow, you don't have any identification, do you?"
"Of course I don't."
"You need to show your age with some sort of ID to get into a dungeon. Well, there's no strict law about it, but it's definitely going to cause trouble."
"...."
Looks like Snow hadn't thought about that.
"...We can probably consult with the Dungeon Management Bureau when they get back to us. Maybe we can work something out then."
"...That'd be helpful."
Well, that means we don't have much to do today.
Interviews... can wait, and I can't just jump into a part-time job. Besides, when I'm planning to make money off magic stones, going to a part-time job just doesn't feel right.
I have a plan for getting the magic stones, so it's not a big issue.
Since I've got nothing else to do, I might as well contact someone who knows more about online stuff.
As I texted on my phone, I grabbed an energy drink from the fridge and took a sip.
Snow looked at me curiously.
"That's an energy drink, right?"
"Yeah, it is."
"I've been wondering about it because I've seen people drink it and enjoy it."
"Whether it's good or not depends on the person. Honestly, it's not great for your body. It has caffeine, so it makes you feel more alert, but that's about it."
"No matter how bad it is for the body, it won't directly affect me. Like the coffee this morning, unless there's some special condition."
"Is that so?"
It's nice having a spirit who's immune to all this stuff. She could probably eat anything without worrying about gaining weight or anything like that.
...But honestly, I wasn't even surprised.
I took another energy drink from the fridge and tossed it to Snow.
"The fact that you said it depends on the person makes sense now. Honestly, I don't really like it either—"
"Yeah? I don't really like the taste either. It's kind of an addiction... I know I should stop drinking it, but..."
Snow suddenly looked strange.
Her face turned red, and her eyes became watery.
"Yuma... this..."
Her breathing became heavy, and she was sweating, but she didn't seem sick.
Wait a second... hadn't she drunk coffee this morning?
"...Could it be... caffeine?"
Caffeine, it's in so many drinks... Could it really be a trigger for her?
I started thinking about how to avoid it in the future, but before I could continue that thought, Snow suddenly came up to me, grabbing my sleeve.
"Yuma..."
Her voice was soft and dazed, and she leaned against me, her body soft and warm.
...I'm a man of steel.